Meet the Artist: Saturday, October 11th, 1-3 pm
Artist Talk: 2 pm
A native of the Chicago area, Michael Hedges first studied at the Art Institute of Chicago before earning his B.A. from Loras College in Dubuque. Since then, he has pursued life as a full-time artist, steadily refining a distinct visual vocabulary. Through line and color, Hedges conveys a wide range of emotions—both intense and subtle—creating paintings that balance raw energy with thoughtful composition. His work has been acquired by both private and public collections across the United States, highlighting the broad recognition his work has earned.
Hedges describes his paintings as a synthesis of colors. They begin as a problem of two or more color relationships to be explored through form. He approaches form loosely, sketching underlying structures that act like both skeleton and exoskeleton—frameworks that guide, yet never confine, the finished work. For him, the physical application of paint is as vital as the imagery itself. With sweeping, energetic gestures, he builds surfaces charged with texture and layered color, creating an almost tactile presence.
